Articles Posted inVaccine Injuries

As part of the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986, the United States government created the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP). The VICP is a no-fault alternative to the traditional tort system for processing vaccine injury compensation requests. Continue Reading

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) along with the assistance of the Department of Health and Human Services, American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Academy of Pediatrics published a set of guidelines for parents who chose not to vaccinate their children.

The recent measles outbreak has sparked a debate about vaccine injuries and the safety of the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine (MMR). Vaccine adverse reactions can occur, but most MMR vaccine reactions are rare and minor, according to an Institute of Medicine (IOM) study.

The vast majority of children do not experience anything worse than short-lived redness or itching at the injection site, Scientific American reported.

Children who receive the MMR vaccine have a one in 3,000 chance of developing a fever that leads to a seizure, according to IOM. Such seizures should not lead to any permanent neurological damage and actually occur less frequently than seizures caused by the itself. Continue Reading

Amy Purdy, a paralympic snowboarding champion and Dancing with the Stars season 18 runner-up, recently spoke with NPR about her new book On My Own Two Feet: From Losing My Legs to Learning the Dance of Life and about her role in preventing meningitis.

College students living in dorms are the most at risk for developing bacterial meningitis, according to NPR. Because Purdy did not attend college, she was under the misconception that she was not at risk for contracting the disease. Purdy was diagnosed with bacterial meningitis at age 19. It took months to recover from the infection that cost the teen her legs, spleen and kidney function.

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that girls receive their first dose of the Gardasil vaccine between the ages of 11 and 12. According to a study released by the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, only half of girls in that demographic are following the government’s recommendation.

Gardasil protects against the human papillomavirus (HPV), which is responsible for 99.7 percent of cervical cancers and several other cancers, according to Science 2.0.

Researchers at a Canadian hospital are suggesting that the flu vaccine is worth getting, despite the potential risk of developing Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS).

Guillain-Barre Syndrome is a rare condition in which the body’s immune system attacks the nervous system. GBS can start out as a tingling sensation or muscle weakness and can lead to paralysis. There is no cure for Guillain-Barre, but the side effects can be lessened with treatment.

With increasing vaccine injury fears and the growing anti-vaccination movement, it is easy to forget the good that vaccines have done in eradicating disease from society. A new collection of artwork commissioned by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is designed to remind people of the important role vaccines continue to play.

The Art of Saving a Life showcases the talents of 30 renowned artists including actress Mia Farrow and photographer Annie Leibovitz as well as international painters, sculptors, photographers, writers and musicians whose inspiration pieces demonstrate the positive effect vaccines have had on human history.

Children and the elderly are more susceptible to the flu virus, according to Johns Hopkins. The 2014-2015 flu season has been especially deadly for children, and the recent declaration of a flu epidemic by the Centers of Disease Control (CDC) has put schools on high alert.

This season, influenza claimed the lives of 21 children in 11 states as of December 31, 2014. To keep the number from increasing, schools across the country are becoming more proactive in flu prevention.

About two weeks after receiving the flu vaccine in October 2011, Wendy Lister presented to the hospital with complaints of numbness, tingling, burning and weakness in her extremities. She was admitted and diagnosed with Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) an autoimmune disorder that develops when the body’s immune system attacks the nervous system. The exact cause of GBS is unknown, but it in has been known to happen as a result of vaccine injuries in rare cases.

Filing a lawsuit may seem like the most obvious recourse when unexpected death, paralysis or other complications arise after a vaccination. Many injured victims and their families have obtained compensation in an entirely different way, however.

Severe vaccine adverse reactions are rare, and they’re often no one’s fault. When a vaccine injury does occur, victims and their families are likely facing a pile of long-term bills. The Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) was established to provide patients with compensation without going through the traditional tort process.